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deciduous trees

Time to Maintain: How to Prune Deciduous Trees

January 3, 2018

Deciduous trees are ones that lose their leaves in the fall. Examples include oaks (Quercus spp.), hickories (Carya spp.), maples (Acer spp.), and sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) trees. Their autumn color display is long gone and the trees have entered their dormant period for the winter. Now is the time to consider pruning.

Pole Saw_99th Air Base_Lawrence Crespo_CC BY-ND 2.0_Flickr
Tree pruning with pole saw

Advantages of pruning
Proper tree pruning can add form and structure. Removing dead and damaged limbs leads to healthier trees and reduces the risk of insect attacks and infection with diseases.

What you’ll need
The first step is making sure you have the correct tools. Tree pruning typically requires:

  • Sharp hand pruners to remove smaller twigs and branches less than 1 inch in diameter.
  • Heavier pruners commonly called “loppers” for branches 1 to 3 inches in diameter.
  • Hand saw for branches and limbs 3 to 5 inches in diameter.
  • Pole saw—which will extend to about 10 feet—if you need to remove branches up to that height.

 Cautions
Using ladders when trimming requires extreme caution! Do so only when you have someone who is able to steady the ladder for you while you climb. Limbs and branches greater than 5 inches in diameter and any pruning more than 10 feet off the ground require the use of gasoline-powered chain saws and specialized climbing equipment. Unless you are trained and certified in the use of such equipment, hire a certified arborist or tree company that is fully insured!

What to prune
Once you remove a limb or branch you cannot put it back, so use caution when approaching any pruning decision! Take time to walk around the entire tree and envision what it will look like when you complete the work.

First consider removing branches growing directly toward the house or that impede your ability to walk under the tree. Once these are removed, take a step back and evaluate how to proceed. Next to go are dead branches and limbs that are rubbing against other limbs.

Pruning small branches: When pruning small branches, always cut back to a vigorously growing branch or bud that points in the direction you want the branch to grow. Cut about 1/4 inch above the branch or bud to avoid leaving a perceptible stub. This will minimize any damage to the branch collar that might occur if you cut any closer.

Limb Collar Intact_Freshly pruned silver maple_Eli Sagor_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
Correctly pruned tree leaves limb collar intact.

Pruning larger limbs: Branches greater than 3 inches in diameter require three cuts:

  • Make the first cut away from the trunk to avoid “stripping” the bark. Start about 6 inches from the trunk and begin to cut up from the bottom of the branch, stopping when you’re a third of the way through the branch.
  • Make your second cut from the top of the branch, in line with the bottom cut so the limb will fall from the tree.
  • Your final cut will remove the stub that remains. This cut should be made flush with the “limb collar” at the base of the branch, not flush with the trunk.
Topping weakens a tree's structure, health, and beauty.
Tree topping – unsightly and unhealthy

Pruning practices to avoid!
Tree topping: Never “top” your trees! Although this technique is often seen in the landscape, it is the surest way to have your trees decline in vigor and health. Topped trees develop multiple secondary branches that are problematic aesthetically and weaken the trees’ structural integrity. No responsible arborist or tree company will recommend topping trees.

Wound dressings: Do NOT dress tree wounds under any circumstances! Researchers have shown that commercial products for tree wounds—paint, tar, varnish, or other such materials—trap moisture and increase disease problems. 

Learn more
Trees and Shrubs: General Pruning Techniques
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/general-pruning-techniques

Article written by Bob Wardwell, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

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Categories Seasonal Chores, Trees Tags deciduous trees, pruning, pruning trees, winter garden chores

Fine pruning of deciduous trees. And now’s the time…

January 28, 2015

Lopping, topping, pollarding, and coppicing are all forms of pruning that have one thing in common: The primary focus is on a short range change in the tree or shrub’s form.

Topping

On a shrub this is shearing, cutting all the branches to the same height, as in a hedge. On a tree though, it’s hard to identify any situation that wouldn’t be better served by fine pruning, like removing only the branches that are blocking a view.

Fine Pruning the cuts are made one at a time, each cut considering the long and short-range dendrological effects on the plant, the impact on the landscape, and on the gardener’s interests. Fine pruning is particularly important during the early development of any woody plant.

Fine Pruning

 

It’s wise to tackle the big problems first. In doing so you may also be eliminating multiple smaller ones.

So here we’d start with the multiple leaders or vertical branches that are crowding the interior in the diagram on the left. Off with them! Same with “water sprouts” on the trunk or branches and suckers that spring up at the base. Taking them off while they’re small can save major pruning later.

We’d look for branches that are crossing or rubbing, not only now, but those that seem to be heading for trouble in the future. Off, or cut back to a side branch headed in right direction. Broken branches provide entry points for disease and insects. Off with them too.

There’s one other possible target that I see in the unpruned tree on the left. Ground clearance. I would remove the lowest branch on the right to establish a more symmetrical appearance. This could also be important in a parking lot or to provide for mower access to the turf below. DON’T leave a stub. If the branch collar is left intact after pruning, the wound will seal more effectively and stem tissue probably will not decay.

Coppicing is an English term for a traditional method of woodland management which takes advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level. In subsequent growth years, many new shoots will emerge. After a number of years the coppiced tree, or stool, is ready to be harvested, and the cycle begins again.

Pollarding is a pruning system in which the upper branches of a tree are removed, promoting a dense head of foliage and branches. It has been common in Europe since medieval times and is practiced today in urban areas worldwide, primarily to maintain trees at a predetermined height.[1]

Traditionally, trees were pollarded for one of two reasons: for fodder to feed livestock, for fire and or perhaps as wattling to be used as a fence.

  • To remove large branches, three or four cuts will be necessary to avoid tearing the bark. Make the first cut on the underside of the branch about 18 inches from the trunk. Undercut one-third to one-half way through the branch. Make the second cut an inch further out on the branch; cut until the branch breaks free.
  • Before making the final cut severing a branch from the main stem, identify the branch collar. The branch collar grows from the stem tissue around the base of the branch. Make pruning cuts so that only branch tissue (wood on the branch side of the collar) is removed. Be careful to prune just beyond the branch collar, but
  • The third cut may be made by cutting down through the branch, severing it. If, during removal, there is a possibility of tearing the bark on the branch underside, make an undercut first and then saw through the branch.

What time of year do we want to do this fine pruning? Now! In late winter when the trees are fully dormant, but before they break dormancy. With all the leaves off, you can better see what needs to be done.

NOTE: Pruning fruit trees, shrubs or vines have some different objectives though many of the same considerations and techniques do apply.

Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

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Categories Trees Tags coppicing, deciduous trees, fine pruning, lopping, pollarding, pruning, topping, winter garden chores

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